Title: Dirty Little Secret
Chapter: 2
Summary: Caroline Forbes is a lot of things. Neurotic, controlling and insecure being top of the list, but one thing she is not is stupid. So she knows that something is seriously up with childhood friend (and occasional enemy) Tyler Lockwood. She's determine to figure out why all the sudden he's acting as if he's seen a ghost and why he looks at her all the time with a heat she doesn't understand. As she digs deeper, she finds out about a whole new world she didn't know existed and- despite her lack of knowledge- how she's part of it. Mostly AU.
Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews and positive feedback! It means the world, really. I love reading what you think! It brings a smile to my face. Okay, on the less mushy side, I usually don't update this quickly and I don't think I've ever written a chapter this long before, so don't expect that every chapter): I'll try, but I can't guarantee it. Anyways, enjoy!
Caroline tossed her keys into the little wicker basket on the end table beside the door when she walked inside. The house was quiet, as it always was, which meant her mom wasn't home, like always. Her mom was the Sheriff of Mystic Falls and even though not that much happened in Mystic Falls- besides the occasional robbery or speeding ticket- her mom was never home. It used to bother Caroline, but as she got older, she got over it. That was who her mom was and she couldn't change it, even if she wanted to. Her mom came home even less when her dad left them for his boyfriend in California. Yes, his boyfriend. Who could blame Caroline for being a little crazy after looking at her family history? She'd more or less raised herself since she was thirteen and living with her mother was a lot like living by herself.
She hitched her duffel bag with all of her cheerleading stuff over her shoulder and headed towards the stairs. They were working on a new routine and it was making Caroline sore as hell. She'd have to take a nice, long bubble bath before bed. After climbing the stairs- which seemed a lot longer than they had this morning- she opened up her bedroom door and threw her bags on the floor. After putting on a comfy pair of Sophie's and one of Matt's old t-shirts, which she had stolen from him, she walked to her bed and flopped down on it, ravishing in the feel of the soft cotton of her comforter on her skin and the comfy mattress of her bed. She grabbed her pink laptop off her nightstand and turned it on.
After spending an hour or so checking email, Facebook, etc., she shut her laptop down and sat it back down on her nightstand where she had found it. She got up and grabbed her book bag, unwilling pulling out the homework Mr. Tanner had assigned the class (which she hadn't finished because she was too wrapped up in obsessing over the fundraiser and Tyler).
She worked on it for about twenty minutes before her phone lit up and buzzed, alerting her of a new text message. She reached for it and looked at her screen before opening it. The screen read Bonnie. She flipped it open and read it.
Party tonight by Old Fell's Church at 9! Coming?
Caroline bit her lip. She really was tired and needed to finish this homework, but she really needed a good party to relieve her stress. Having decided, she responded.
Of course!
She only had to wait a few seconds for Bonnie's reply.
Yaaay! Elena and I will pick you up at 9!
She set her phone back down on her comforter and tried to focus on finishing her homework. Unfortunately, nineteenth century Virginia wasn't nearly interesting enough to hold her attention and keep her mind from wandering to thoughts of Tyler. She really didn't want to think about it- it just gave her a headache- but she couldn't stop. He was like a plague, eating away at the flesh that was her brain and consuming all her thoughts. If it had been anyone else, she would have said they had a crush on her, but come on! This was Tyler Lockwood. Tyler didn't do crushes. He did hook ups and one night stands. He's tried (unsuccessfully) more than once to get into her pants. Tyler Lockwood didn't do crushes, so why the hell was he being so weird?
Maybe it was just the stress of his dad and Sarah's death, and then his Uncle being back in town combined. Maybe he was having some kind of mental break down. Maybe he was suffering from a STD. Who knew?
Shaking her head in an attempt to disperse all thoughts of Tyler, she picked her phone back up and entered Matt's number.
Hey, are you going to the party tonight?
She picked her pencil back up and answered three questions before her phone buzzed with a text.
Yeah. Do you want me to drive you? I'm picking up Tyler so I'll get to your house around 9.
Oh, no thank you. She was not going to be in an enclosed space with him for any amount of time. She didn't even want to go to the party if he was there. She shook her head. This was getting ridiculous. Caroline Forbes not going to a party with loud music and free beer just to avoid someone? This was getting out of hand. She'd have to talk to- or threaten- Tyler about this.
No thanks. Bonnie and Elena are picking me up. I'll see you there.
She threw her phone back on her comforter and picked up her pencil, more determined this time. She spent the next thirty minutes answering questions about Virginia in the Civil War. After finishing it, she put in back in her folder and into her bag. She looked around her room for something to do. It was only 6:30 so she had some time to kill before beginning to get ready.
After a few minutes of staring at nothing in particular, she decided to go and take a shower and then soak in a nice, hot bath. Her lavender scented bath beads would surely relieve her stress. She walked to her bathroom and turned on the water to her shower. As she waited for it to get to the right temperature, she went to the closet and got her towels. She locked he bathroom door just out of habit and began undressing.
The hot water felt amazing on her tense, tired muscles, so she just stood there a few minutes, allowing the water to work out all the knots and tension out. After a few more minutes, she began the cycle of shampooing, rinsing and repeating with her shampoo and conditioner. After standing there for just a few more minutes, she plugged the drain so the tub would begin to fill. When the water was a few inches high, she laid down and closed her eyes, listening to sound of the water like it was music, soothing her to sleep. She used her foot to turn off the water and dropped a few beads into the water, inhaling the scent of lavender.
And then, she closed her eyes and allowed her mind to go completely blank.
She was in the woods near Old Fell's Church. She was sure of it. Her dad would bring her here when she was a little girl with pigtails still in her hair. He said it was like an adventure without the danger. Elena, Bonnie, Matt, Tyler and she had come all the time in middle school to get away from their parents and chores and responsibilities. And when they got older and a little more curious about things, they'd grab a six pack and go up there. Parties were there all the time. This was the one place Caroline felt safe at, besides her friend's houses and her own.
But she didn't feel safe now. She didn't feel the comfort she usually felt looking into the woods. The trees surrounding her didn't make her feel safe and comfortable. They felt ominous and threatening, like someone was lurking behind the trees, watching her. The full moon was the only light that she could see and it held no comfort. She felt like she was smack in the middle of a horror movie. Wasn't it always the peppy, cute blonde that died first?
Her skin felt hot. It was the feeling she got when someone was watching her. What was she doing in the woods? She couldn't remember going there. She couldn't remember anything. Panic rose inside her and she patted her pockets for her phone. After feeling every place she could possibly stick her cell phone, she found nothing. Fear clenched her chest and constricted her throat.
Its okay, Caroline, she thought to herself. Just walk to the road. You'll be safe there.
She began walking quickly, ready to get out of the woods and escape the feel of eyes watching her. She made sure she only looked immediately in front of her, so she wouldn't fall and avoided looking to the sides at all costs. She could feel something watching her, and if she saw whatever it was, she would completely freak out and not be able to run. Just keep going. Keep walking. You'll find the road. Keep walking.
This chant worked for a few minutes, until she heard the rustling of leaves. She froze mid step, one foot a foot in front of the other and her knees slightly bent. She stopped breathing and listened carefully. Maybe, just maybe it had been the wind- though she felt no wind- or an animal. Yeah, that's it. It was a squirrel or better yet, a rabbit. The noise had simply been a small, weak little rabbit hopping around. Having convinced herself, she began breathing again and picked up her pace.
Not ten seconds later she heard the noise again, but this time, it was louder. Much, much louder. It sounded big, whatever it was and the noise had been too close to a growl for her comfort. She yelped in surprise and began running. There was no convincing herself this was a rabbit. This was big and probably a carnivore, which meant it would eat her without thinking twice about it. Would Mace work on an animal? Oh, it didn't even matter! She'd felt every inch of her body and nothing was in her pockets. No form of self defense was on her. The closest thing she had was a tree branch and a rock, neither of which she was stopping to find.
So she ran and ran and ran and prayed to anyone and everyone that would listen to not let her get eaten tonight. She was too young to die and if she was going to die, she would certainly like to know why the hell she had put herself in the position to die in the first place. What insanity had brought her out in the middle of the woods at night? Seriously, blonde or not, she wasn't that stupid.
She heard another noise, but this time it was different. It wasn't the soft rustling of leaves that a small animal would make, but it wasn't the loud, ferocious sound of a much, much large animal that could eat her. It was somewhere in between and Caroline ran through the possibilities in her head. A possum? A fox? A really, really big squirrel? Oh god, she couldn't even think straight. The phrase "lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" was running through her head, which wasn't helping her concentrate on not tripping and falling.
She was too distracted and it was too dark to see the figure step out in front of her until it was too late and she was a foot away from him or her. She didn't have enough time to stop. She ran flat into the figure- which muscle toned and overall build suggested was a man- and bounced backwards with the impact. Large hands reached out and grasped her arms just as she was about to fall. They pulled her up into standing position.
She began screaming, sure she was going to die. The hands were still holding her and she tried her to best to break free. She kicked and jerked and screamed in terror. His hands were too strong though, and she couldn't break free.
"Caroline!" the man shouted over he screaming.
Even in the midst of completely freaking out, she recognized that voice. She knew that voice. She would know that voice anywhere. "T-Tyler?" she asked, her voice small and scared sounding. What was Tyler Lockwood doing out in the middle of the woods in the middle of the night? Though, she wasn't complaining. Sure, they had their differences but if it came to him or a murderer, she'd always choose him. She blinked back the veil of terror that had clouded her vision and looked up into his dark brown eyes.
"Its me," he said, sounding a little confused. "Caroline, what are you doing here?"
The rush of adrenaline that had kept her on her feet and running for so long suddenly gave way, leaving as quickly as it had came and she sagged, suddenly exhausted. She probably would have fallen if he hadn't grabbed her and held her against him. She couldn't explain the sudden sob that broke free of her lips and echoed out into the night.
"Hey," he said, squeezing her slightly in a not very Tyler like manner. "Its okay. Calm down. You're okay."
Calm down? Calm down! Hello! She had just been chased by some kind of animal hell bent on eating her! She certainly was not okay and she would not calm down. On second thought, freaking out sounded like the better idea. Yeah, it was nice that she wasn't alone anymore but the animal still was around and would eat them both now. While she felt strangely safe in Tyler's arms, she knew that when it came down to it, Tyler was human and just as weak as she was, at least when it came down to being attacked by an animal.
She pulled back to look at his face. "Tyler!" she said, her voice breaking and rising in odd places. She was still slightly sobbing, which wasn't helping either. "Listen- to me- there's-"
"Caroline , I can't understand you," he said.
"There's an animal!" she shrieked. "In the woods! I-its chasing me!"
His eyes widened in fear and a sick understanding filled his eyes- one that she did not like nor understand. He looked around them, surveying and she didn't tell him it was useless. He wouldn't be able to see but she didn't because he'd figure that out on his own. His eyes seemed to focus on something before he looked back down at her.
"Caroline," he said, urgently, "Listen to me!"
"I'm listening!"
"When I tell you to, run," he said, calmly. He was looking deep, deep into her eyes and she felt like he was looking into her soul or something. She didn't believe in things like that, but in that second, she did.
"Why?" she whispered, not able to make her voice any louder.
"Do you trust me?" he asked, ignoring her question.
She didn't know why she did. She didn't understand. She should say no, she didn't trust him. Why should she trust him? It was more than a little suspicious that he was out in the middle of the woods the exact same time she was and he didn't look nearly as scared as he should. She shouldn't trust him.
But she did.
"Yes," she said.
"Then when I tell you to, run," he repeated.
This time, she didn't ask why. She simply nodded, irrationally putting all her faith in the boy standing in front of her. Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that she wasn't suppose to trust him. She was suppose to hate him even, but she didn't right now. Looking into those oddly comforting chocolate brown eyes, she couldn't find it in herself to do anything but trust him.
It felt like days waiting for him to tell her to run. In reality, she knew it was only seconds, but waiting was killing her. So was curiosity. What. Was. Going. On?
Suddenly, Tyler's arms dropped from her's and she swore she saw fire dance in his eyes. Like actual red flames. She didn't have enough time to freak out about that though, because at that exact second he yelled, "Run!"
So she did. She took off and didn't look back. She ran and ran and ran, farther away from Tyler and closer to the unknown. She wanted to look back at him, but resisted the urge. If she did look back, she'd lose her balance and trip, resulting in her face planting the ground.
A piercing scream sounded from behind her and she recognized it as Tyler's, but it only lasted a few seconds before it was lost in the sound of a wolf howling.
Oh god its got Tyler! her mind yelled. She had to go back. She had to go back and help him! No, she wouldn't be able to help him. She would just get hurt too. She needed to find people, who could call for help. Yeah, that's what she had to do!
Her legs began feeling heavy and the muscles of her thighs and calves were aching intensely. She was pushing her body past it's limit and she knew she was going to collapse. Her lungs felt full and heavy, making it hard to breath. But she kept running, until finally, her legs gave out from underneath her and she fell to the ground. She held out her hands to brace her fall, but it still hurt hitting the ground. Her hands felt hot and moist, so she knew she was bleeding.
She heard heavy footsteps behind her and she knew they didn't belong to a human. Humans didn't have that many feet. She pushed herself over so she could see what it was. She came face to face with amber eyes before the whole world went black.
While she was asleep, Caroline's head had dipped beneath the water and she woke up screaming and coughing. Her vision was dancing with spots of gray and black, and her lungs felt heavy from the water she had swallowed. She rather ungracefully sat up from the water and coughed wildly, choking up all the lavender tasting water she had swallowed. Slowly but surely, the water left her lungs and her vision returned. Breathing heavily, she reached out a shaking hand and grabbed her towels. She gathered her hair on the top of her head and wrapped one around her head and wrapped the other around her trembling body. She unplugged the drain and watched the water slowly disappear in a swirl of cloudy water.
Never in her life had she been in a dream like that. It was so realistic. She thought the dream had been reality and she was really running through the woods and Tyler Lockwood had really been there, telling her to run and an animal was chasing her. She shivered as the sound of Tyler's scream and then the low, ferocious howl of an animal echoed in her head. She could have sworn in was real. She could still see the amber eyes of the animal.
Shaking her head, she unlocked the bathroom door and opened it. All the hot air released and she shivered as the cold air came in contact with her already goose bump covered skin. She glanced at her clock. Great, she wasn't going to have enough time to get ready before Elena and Bonnie came to pick her up.
In a hurry, she went to her closet and picked out a plain blue dress and slipped on her black flip flops. She rushed to her bathroom and began the long process of brushing, drying and curling her hair. When she was finally done with that, she began putting on her makeup, but she could barely put on her eyeliner with stabbing herself. Her hands were still trembling slightly.
The sudden knock on the door caused her to poke herself in the eye and she let out a yelp of pain. Damn it! She sat it down and rushed downstairs to let Bonnie and Elena in. She knew it was them, but she still looked through the little peephole, being paranoid. It was and she unlocked the door.
They walked in.
"Caroline!" Bonnie exclaimed. "What happened to your eye?"
She rubbed her hand over her sore eye and frowned. "Eyeliner accident," she explained.
"Oh," Bonnie said, shrugging and easily accepting her answer, which Caroline was grateful for. She did not feel like explaining why she hadn't been paying extra attention because that would lead to the dream and she really didn't want to talk about it. She really, really just wanted to forget about it.
But of course, Elena sensed that something was wrong. "Care, are you okay?"
"Yeah," Caroline said, putting an extra little amount of pep in her voice. "Why?"
"I don't know," Elena said, not looking convinced. "You just look a little… spooked."
Uh, spooked wasn't the word for how Caroline was feeling at the moment. It was more like terrified or freaked or just plain scared. That worked too. "Nope," she said. "I'm all good."
"Okay," Elena said, accepting her answer but still looking a little worried.
"I'll be done in like five minutes if you want to stay down here," Caroline said.
They both agreed and headed off to her living room. Caroline ran back upstairs and finished up with her make up, being much more careful this time. After she was done with that, she checked herself in the mirror to make sure she looked okay, went into her closet, grabbed her black leather jacket and went back downstairs.
"Ready," she announced, a smile on her face. She pushed aside all thoughts of the dream and Tyler and vowed that she was going to have fun tonight even if it killed her.
Okay, well she wouldn't go that far.
They arrived around 9:30 due to Caroline's makeup incident and the party was in full swing. She recognized tons of people from school and a few that she didn't recognize. Caroline heard The All-American Reject's "Dirty Little Secret" blasting from as unseen source and people were dancing. The beer was already out and a few people were already drunk. They stumbled around in a drunken stupor and overall making fools out of themselves.
Caroline shook her head and rolled her eyes. Light weights. She just hoped someone didn't fall and bust open their heads or some idiot didn't try and walk into the fire or something. Today had already been crappy enough. She did not want to have to explain to her mom why she was out at 9:30 on a school night, drinking. Her mom knew Caroline wasn't a perfect little angel, but knowing that and seeing that were two completely different things.
"Caroline!" she heard a familiar voice call.
She turned around, sporting a wide smile, just in time to see Matt and Stefan walking up to the three girls before he wrapped his arms around her tightly. She squeezed him back and took the beer he handed her after pulling back. She took it gratefully (she needed more than a beer after this god awful day) and Matt slung his arm around her shoulder.
Stefan handed both Bonnie and Elena a beer, and kissed Elena on the cheek. Ugh. Stefan was like this perfect gentlemen and while it was sweet, it also graded on Caroline's nerves. He was just too… perfect. She understood how Damon and Stefan didn't get along all that well. Stefan was Dr. Jekyll and Damon was Mr. Hyde.
"How long have you guys been here?" Matt asked, taking a swig of his beer.
Caroline took a long, long swig of her beer, letting someone else answer that question. She said she was having fun tonight. This was how she planned on doing it.
"Just a few minutes," Elena said. "Hey, have you seen Jeremy?"
"Uh, yeah," Matt said, looking a little uncomfortable. He looked down at the ground and scuffed his shoes against the dirt. "I saw him with Vicki like ten minutes ago."
Elena frowned and Matt continued to look down at the dirt. Vicki Donovan was not exactly the most respectful girl attending Mystic Falls High. Okay, that was an understatement. She was kind of known as the school slut. It was no secret that Vicki got around and-it of course could just be wicked rumors- Caroline had heard more than once that she traded sex for drugs. She was into all kinds of crazy stuff Caroline wouldn't poke with a ten foot pole, with gloves on. Vicki was a year older than Matt, but Matt was constantly taking care of Vicki. He was like her parent. Caroline had tried to befriend the girl when she and Matt had first started dating three months back, but found it a lost cause. She knew Matt was hoping that maybe if Vicki started hanging out with her, Caroline's personality would rub off on her. Yeah, she was a little bitchy but she was proud to say that she didn't do drugs, nor did she sleep around. Actually, she'd only had sex a handful of times and it had been with Matt. Anyways, Caroline found it hard to get along with Vicki. Vicki was more troubled than she looked on the surface, and honestly, Caroline wasn't a miracle worker and that girl needed some serious therapy.
Jeremy had been chasing after her for the last few weeks and Caroline knew Elena was praying it was just a teenage crush on Jeremy's part. Caroline doubted that though. Vicki and drugs were kind of a package deal as far as Caroline saw it.
"I think I'm going to go get another beer," Bonnie said. "Anyone want one?"
Matt, Elena and Stefan all shook their head, but another beer sounded just perfect to Caroline. "Sure," she said. "I'll come."
They walked off to where the beers were and Bonnie was wearing a pinched expression.
"What's wrong with you?" Caroline asked, though she already knew. Or well, thought she knew.
Bonnie bit her lip and glanced at her. "Do you think Jeremy actually likes Vicki or just wants drugs?"
Caroline-being the great friend and actress she was- didn't allow her jaw to drop down to her feet. Okay, it was obvious that Bonnie was crushing on Jeremy, but Caroline didn't think she was actually serious.
"Bonnie Bennett," Caroline said, smiling, "Are you crushing on baby Gilbert?"
"He's not a baby," Bonnie said, obviously avoiding the question. "He's like fifteen."
"He acts like one," Caroline said.
Bonnie's face dropped a little and Caroline felt somewhat bad. She bumped her friend on the shoulder and gave her a small smile. "Hey, the whole Goth, emo look works for some guys," she said, an attempt at humor.
It worked. Bonnie laughed and rolled her eyes. "No, it really doesn't," she said, shaking her brown curls. "I always thought Jeremy was cute. I still think he's cute now because I remember how cute he use to be when he didn't dress like a Goth."
Caroline nodded understandingly. "You totally like him."
"Maybe just a little," Bonnie said.
"Hey, whatever floats your boat," Caroline said. "And as for Vicki… I don't think you need to worry about that. The girl isn't exactly known for long, successful relationships."
"That she is not," Bonnie agreed.
"And if it does turn into something, we can always report her for statuary rape," Caroline joked. "He's a minor."
"True!"
They arrived at the fold up table where the beers were. Bonnie and Caroline both grabbed one and tossed their empty one in the trash. As Caroline turned around and began walking, she bumped into someone.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, "Sorry!"
She then noticed who it was. Seriously, what was with this guy? Was he like stalking her or something?
"Don't look at me like that," Tyler said, rolling his eyes. "You're the one who bumped into me."
"Maybe you should have paid better attention," she said, narrowing her eyes.
"Maybe you should have paid better attention," he said.
She huffed and almost stomped her foot. Damn it! He was driving her insane! Not to mention, she was still freaked out by the whole dream thing and if she was being honest, she really wanted to resolve this whole conflict and go back to their easy "I've known you since birth and you're my boyfriend's best friend" relationship rather than their "You're creepy staring and my dreaming about you is starting to scare me" relationship.
Bonnie was watching them, her eyebrow raised in confusion.
Swallowing her anger, Caroline said, "Tyler, can I talk to you for a sec?"
"Look," he said, rubbing the back of his head, "If you're just going to yell at me some more, I think I'll pass."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to yell. I just want to talk."
He looked her over for a few seconds and she was already about to take back to whole "just talking, no yelling thing" but he nodded and said, "Fine, but if you start yelling, I'm bailing."
She nodded and turned to Bonnie. "Tell Matt I'll just be a few minutes?"
She nodded and began walking back to where their friends were standing. Caroline began walking towards the woods (shivering slightly, her mind going back to the dream) and she heard Tyler's footsteps close behind her. She stopped when she knew people wouldn't be able to hear what they were talking about, but still would be able to see them.
"Alright," he said as she turned around to face him. "What do you want to talk about?"
She contemplated how to approach this. She could yell (even though she said she wouldn't) and demand to know what was going on, or she could approach it more carefully, calmly. The latter would probably get more information out of him so she decided to go with that one.
"Look, Tyler," she said, "What's going on with you lately?"
"What do you mean?" he asked, though she would swear on her life she saw something very close to nervousness flash through his eyes.
"I mean, you've just been acting weird lately," she said. "And I know you've kind of been going through some things lately…"
"Look, Caroline-" he cut off suddenly, cocking his head to the side like he was listening to something. She listened too but all she heard was music and talking.
"Ty-?"
He raised a finger to his lip and shushed her.
Um, excuse me?
She waited a few more seconds. "Tyler what is-"
"I'll be right back," he said and began jogging into the woods.
She stared at him in disbelief. Here she was, trying to see what was wrong with him and he just runs off into the woods, being all cryptic and weird. Fine, whatever. Screw him. Caroline began walking back to her friends, all the while seething. The nerve of some people….
"Whoa, Caroline," Matt said, "You look pissed."
"I'm fine," she snapped. She instantly felt bad. It wasn't Matt she was pissed at. "Sorry, Matt, I-"
A high, girly scream cut her off and they all turned to where it had sounded. More screams sounded before they saw the cause of the panic.
Tyler was stepping out of the woods, half carrying, half dragging on unconscious Cody Abrams. Cody was completely covered in blood. It had soaked completely through his white t-shirt and was dripping off of him. Tyler's shirt was covered in blood also and little trickles were rolling down his arm. From the amount of blood, Caroline wondered if he was dead and not unconscious after all.
"Somebody call 911!" Tyler yelled.
Dun…dun…dun.
I probably could have made this into two chapters but… oh well, whatever.
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